Question about Swiss Dragons

Today’s post is from an email from a reader / site visitor who lives in Japan.

If you have any information about the Swiss legend or books which mention it, please contact me so that I can update this post.

Thanks!

— Jess @ Dragonsinn

EMAIL FROM VISITOR:

“Dear Jess:

I am doing some research on Swiss Dragon folklore.

There’s a story set in November 1420, about a cooper (i.e. “a maker or repairer of casks and barrels”) who has fallen into a dragon’s cave. He licked salty water from the cave’s wall and that was his only source of food.

But winter turned into spring, the dragon took flight. The cooper held onto the dragon’s body and he got out of the cave.

I don’t know a lot about the details of this folklore, and which book could tell me more about it.

If you know about this story, could you share more information?

I know a very similar Chinese folklore when I compared the two stories.

— SS / F / Japan”

Update:

There is a story about the dragons of Mt. Pilatus, which is in the Lucerne region and a regular hotspot for tourists.

One legend says that dragons with healing powers lived in the crevices of the mountain. Another story also details how a young cooper was stuck on Mount Pilatus, but stayed safe in a dragon’s cave through the winter.

Author: Jess

Jess has run Dragonsinn since 1999. She enjoys research and analysis, and appreciates how running a website brings these interests together. Non-draconic interests include cats, cooking, and UX design. View all posts by Jess